Trescothick withdrawal forces rethink

England look certain to drop Marcus Trescothick from their immediate one-day plans following his shock withdrawal from Champions Trophy consideration with an ongoing stress-related illness.

Somerset left-hander Trescothick, England's leading century-maker in one-day cricket with 12 hundreds from 123 appearances, has been a key member of the limited-overs line-up virtually ever since he made his debut six years ago.

But his continued struggles to cope with the demands of international cricket and particularly this winter's intense schedule has prompted him to make himself unavailable for the mini-World Cup in India next month.

Trescothick and his medical advisors are confident his ongoing treatment, which includes a period of rest, will enable him to recover sufficiently for the Ashes series which follows the Champions Trophy.

Yet with only two matches remaining in the NatWest Series against Pakistan, England are almost duty-bound to look at alternatives at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston for next month's tournament in India.

Essex batsman Alastair Cook and Ed Joyce of Middlesex are the two spare batsmen in the squad and coach Duncan Fletcher confirmed: "We will make that decision over the next couple of days to see whether he (Trescothick) will open the innings, but there is a chance we will try someone else."

Fletcher remains sympathetic about Trescothick's plight, which first manifested itself earlier this year in India and forced him home from that tour for family reasons, although the reason for his departure was later changed to a mystery virus.

Wednesday's announcement blames a gastrointestinal infection for part of Trescothick's troubles, but it also confirmed a stress-related problem was the main source of anxiety and cause of his surprise withdrawal.

"After his return from the tour of India in March, Marcus sought specialist help for his ongoing symptoms," explained a spokesman from Performance Healthcare, Trescothick's specialists.

"In addition to the effects of the acquired gastrointestinal infection on his health, it later became evident that he was also suffering from an underlying stress-related illness. He has been receiving specialist treatment, which has allowed him to resume his position in the England team. However, we believe that it would be premature for him to tour India in October."